


Dollhouse

by PallasDiana



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Haunting, Modern Era, Murder Mystery, Paranormal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-19
Updated: 2019-04-29
Packaged: 2019-10-31 07:51:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17845379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PallasDiana/pseuds/PallasDiana
Summary: Gajeel Redfox has worked really hard to support himself and his little sister, Wendy. So much so that he makes little time for himself. When their home is heavily damaged by unexplained circumstances, they are invited to stay with their new neighbor, Levy McGarden. But there is some strange going on. The siblings hear a tapping sound in the attic at night, the cats are acting strangely and Levy refuses to let anyone near an old dollhouse in the attic. An object that seems to terrify her. Just want happened in that house?





	1. chapter one

Although it isn't the most original way to start a story, it all started one fateful day.

"Gajeel!" Someone shouted from downstairs. Gajeel pushed himself out of bed but remained half asleep. He ended up hitting his head hard against the shelf above him, scaring his cat, Pantherlily, off the foot of his bed. He cursed and hollered, "What is it now?!"  
He heard the sound of small, light footsteps coming up the stairs as he dressed in sweatpants and his favorite black hoodie. His little sister, Wendy, ran up to the bedroom and ended up tripping over the last step. Gajeel helped her up, and she gave him his answer, "Carla's gone!"

"What?!" was all her brother could say. Wendy explained that she woke up without her cat, Carla, sleeping at the foot of her bed. Soon after that, she found the front door popped open.

"Damn it!" Gajeel kicked his bed in frustration, Stupid busted lock. He began to head out the door. "Come on," Gajeel turned to his sister who was already tearing up. "Let's get out there. She can't be too far."  
Gajeel and Wendy searched all over the yard. Wendy checked under the flower beds and found nothing. Gajeel looked through the cracks and holes in the walls but didn't even hear a peep.

The two of them decided to check their yard's maple tree with Wendy on Gajeel's shoulders. "Hello," said an unfamiliar voice. It startled the two which resulted in Gajeel losing his balance and having Wendy fall on top of him.  
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry," Gajeel turned to their front gate, and a saw a strange woman not much taller than Wendy. She wore an orange bandana that held back wavy, cerulean hair and had the most enormous, warmest brown eyes he'd ever seen. Gajeel could tell she was cradling something in her arms, but whatever it was, it was hidden behind the gate.

"I didn't mean to scare you," her voice was sweet and filled with concern. "I'm your new neighbor, Levy Mcgarden. I was working at my house when I found this little one on my porch."

She opened the gate, revealing a small white kitten curled up against the women's chest. Wendy's face lit up, "Carla!" Shey rushed towards the strange woman, stepping on her brother along the way. Carla jumped out Levy's arms and raced into Levy's yard with Wendy behind her.

Gajeel got up and took a good look at the house, "Didn't notice the place was for sale." He had lived on the street for a good chunk of his life, so Levy shook her head, "It wasn't. My parents left it for me in their will."

His face went blank, "I'm sorry." It came off as deadpan, but Gajeel meant it. His parents died when Wendy was around seven, leaving him to raise Wendy by himself.

"It's not that big a deal," Levy responded in a way that oddly calm. "They died when I was young. It just wasn't in my name until I turned twenty-one." Gajeel tried to hold back a chuckle. She was so tiny, Gajeel figured she was still in high school and living with a relative. Not living in an empty house as an adult. Levy puffed out her cheeks, "What's so funny?"

A crash broke the conversation between the two adults. "Gajeel!" That scream was Wendy. It came from inside Levy's house.

"Damn it!" Gajeel raced into the house with Levy behind him. Luckily, Wendy had unknowingly stepped in a mud puddle while outside which made a clear trail for Levy and Gajeel to follow. The tracks lead up the stairs. "I'm up here!" Wendy called. It came from the attic. How the hell did she get up there? He thought.

When the two adults reached the top of the stairwell, the door to the attic was open wide and the ladder out. "Were you working in the attic when you found Carla?" Gajeel asked. Levy shook her head. Wendy was too short to open the door herself, so how would that have been possible. Gajeel pushed the question aside; now he needed to get Wendy and Carla.

He crept up the ladder carefully, not wanting to break anything in his new neighbor's house. When Gajeel reached the top, he pulled Levy up with him, but not without almost knocking over a few towers of boxes and unsettling some dust. Wendy was in the corner of the crowded room with Carla, who seemed to have settled down, in her arms.

"Wendy!" Gajeel hollered, though it was out of concern than anger. "You can't just rush into someone else's home-" Wendy interrupted him by frantic tugging on his sleeve, "Gajeel, look." She pointed at a miniature house in the attic's corner.  
It was painted a light blue color with little plant holders under the windows. The front door was carved with delicate swirling designs with a little knocker in the center. On the porch was a small porch swing and tiny rock chair that gently shifted. Wendy walked up to the toy house, unlatched the hook and opened up the interior. Every room was filled with handmade furniture and little hand stitched blankets and curtains.  
"Isn't it cute, Gajeel," Wendy chimed, "It looks just like Miss Levy's house."

On that note, Gajeel looked towards Levy. Even in the dim lighting of her attic, Levy's skin had grown deathly pale and covered in a cold sweat. Her knees and hands began to shake. She was terrified. Of this little plaything?  
"Wendy, I think it's time we go," Gajeel told his younger sister, who was dismayed about leaving such a pretty house. "No," Levy said, "Please stay for just a bit. I haven't had the chance to meet the other neighbors. Your company would be greatly appreciated."  
Gajeel turned to Wendy, making the biggest, cutest puppy dog eyes one could conceive. Levy's offer was very generous and refusing it would not leave a good first impression with her. He already had that problem with most of the town. And Gajeel couldn't deny he was a little curious about this woman. Gajeel agreed, much to Wendy's glee.

Gajeel took a seat at Levy's Mahogany kitchen table as she prepared a pot of coffee. Wendy decided to explore the house further with Carla trotting behind her, not interested in the action so much as keeping an eye on her human girl.  
That left Gajeel alone with Levy. An awkward silence filled the room and Gajeel's cheeks started to turn pink. He had no idea what to say to this woman but his mouth seemed to be working against him. Before Gajeel could stop himself, he asked, "So, what's the deal with that dollhouse?"

He regretted it when Levy's back shot up and almost dropped the mugs in her hands. Gajeel was about to get up and leave when Levy set herself down. She wrung her fingers together and let out a deep breath. "It was just a silly present my dad gave me when I was eight."

"Sounds like you don't care for it all that much."

Levy shook her head, "I was a pretty precocious kid and had already outgrown playing with dolls." She didn't look up at Gajeel, just staring at her table cloth and locking her fingers. "I asked for this fancy calligraphy set. At the time my handwriting was so bad even I couldn't read it and I wanted to practice. My dad thought a homemade dollhouse would be a more appropriate gift for a little girl."

The sound of the coffee pot whistling interrupted the conversation. Levy turned off the stove and handed Gajeel a mug filled to the brim with the dark, bitter liquid. Gajeel took the cup and Wendy rushed into the room holding up a pretty, dark green dress. It didn't have sleeves and was decorated with small rhinestones. "Look at this Gajeel. Isn't it pretty?" Money had been thin since their parents died, so Wendy was used to wearing simple clothing. He raised an eyebrow, "Yes, but you can't go through our neighbor's things."

Levy just giggled, stood up and patted Wendy on her head, "It's alright. I've been meaning to give that away anyway." Wendy handed Levy the gown. Levy held the dress in front of her, showing it was too short for her. She handed the garment back to Wendy and looked the young girl in the eye, "I have a lot more if you want to look through them."

Wendy's eyes sparkled and turned to Gajeel. She widened her eyes as much as possible, aware that her brother had a secret weakness for cute things. When Gajeel nodded, Wendy jumped with utter joy and followed Levy towards her stash of unneeded clothes.  
Gajeel was left alone in the kitchen and stared deeply into his drink. For some reason, Levy's disdain for that dollhouse irritated him. She didn't simply dislike the plaything. Levy was terrified of it. That reaction didn't come from a disappointing present. Levy wouldn't explain it for obvious reasons.

***

After a good twenty minutes, Wendy and Gajeel left Levy's house with two large boxes in Gajeel's arms. Wendy had to open the door for her brother, who was barely able to move while trying not to drop the heavy boxes.

When Gajeel entered the house, he gently dropped the boxes by his recliner and took a seat. Wendy remained smiling as she looked through her newly acquired dresses with Carla perched on her shoulder. Soon, she heard deep snoring and saw Gajeel already fast asleep in his chair with Lily curled up in his lap. Wendy smiled as she grabbed a spare blanket from the laundry room and draped it over her older brother.

She turned to their grandfather clock, which read nine fifty-five am. Gajeel's shift at the auto shop began at one o'clock, so he had an extra hour and a half for a well-deserved nap. Wendy set an alarm on his phone, so he would have enough time to change into his work clothes, call a sitter and prep dinner before leaving. Gajeel never seemed to back away from any job that was given to him. In a way, Wendy was grateful for it since it was the reason they moved into the neighborhood two years ago. But she was also afraid Gajeel would end up dropping in exhaustion.

Wendy took a seat by the windowsill and gazed at the house of their new neighbor. The woman who was so smart and pretty and smelled like vanilla. Carla then hopped onto Wendy's lap and stared at her young owner. What are you up to child? were the words that Wendy saw in her kitten's expression. "I'm just thinking about Miss Levy," Wendy replied as she gently stroked Carla's back. "I really hope we see more of her. And I hope she and Gajeel can be friends." She smiled at her brother, who remained blissfully asleep and snoring away.


	2. Chapter Two

It was a rather slow day at the shop — that unsettled Gajeel. A lot of his co-workers tended to be rowdy and get bored quickly.

"Gray! Come and fight!"

"You're asking for it, Natsu!"

Gajeel paused his work and groaned.  _Well, that didn't take long._  He left his station and headed towards the commotion. In the middle of the shop was the sight of two men, one with pink, spiky hair and the other with hair the color of midnight with no shirt on, throwing various punches at each other. Knowing those two idiots, they could keep this up for hours.

Not wanting to have to listen to their squabbling for who knows how long, Gajeel held the two men by their hair and smacked their heads into each other. "Would you two shut up?! I'm trying to work here!" Gajeel pinched his nose and inhaled. "How your girlfriends handle your crap is beyond me."

"Juvia  _isn't_  my girlfriend!" Gray hollered with his face turning bright red. His co-workers each raised a brow. "Don't you guys live in the same house?" Natsu asked. Gray clenched his teeth and resumed their previous fight. Gajeel sighed and returned to his station, already bored with Natsu and Gray's childish bickering.

As he finished up the car he was working on, Gajeel heard his phone ringing. He picked it up from his work table and saw the name  _Bunny Girl_ on the caller ID. Gajeel was confused. He asked Natsu's girlfriend to watch over Wendy while he was at work. Wendy was the most well-behaved kid in the world, so the idea of Bunny Girl calling him at work was odd.

Despite his concerns, Gajeel answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Gajeel," a meow followed in the background.

_Wendy?_   _What on Earth is she doing with the princess's phone?_ Gajeel coughed into his fist, "Wendy, what have we discussed about personal property?"

"I-I just wanted to see if you were doing okay."

Gajeel let out a sigh. Wendy really didn't need to worry about him. He was a grown man and could look after himself. Wendy was still a kid, and she needed to enjoy it.

Suddenly, Gajeel heard an explosion over the line followed by a woman screaming. "Miss Lucy!" Wendy hollered before dropping the phone. Soon after, a series of explosions echoed through the phone.

His heart racing, Gajeel ended the call and ran out of the building towards his car. Natsu and Gray broke off their fight when they spotted the long-haired man run out of the building like it was on fire. "Gajeel!" Gray hollered. "What the hell do you think you're doing?! You're not done for another hour!"

Gajeel didn't have time to explain, so he just yelled back, "Tell ThunderDolt I had business at home." He revved up the engine and sped out of the parking lot, leaving a thick cloud of dust behind him.

When he arrived home, Wendy and Lucy were outside cradling Carla and Lily in their arms while water poured out of the windows and door like mountain rapids. Gajeel took two giant handfuls of his hair and cursed. "What in the name of hell happened here?!"

"We don't know," Wendy said, still a little shaky from the event and hugging Carla too tightly. Lucy continued, knowing how unsettled Wendy was by the event. " I was preparing dinner when the plumbing started to burst open for no reason."

Gajeel was both confused and irritated by the strange event, but allowed himself to take a few breathes to calm down. Wendy or Lucy could have easily been killed by one of the explosions and was grateful not to be arranging a funeral for one of the cats.

"I'll pay for the damages," Lucy told Gajeel after he ended the call with his plumber. Gajeel just nodded. Lucy had recently published a book she had been working on for years and it was killing it in the market. Considering it took him several years to save up the money for their house, Gajeel would have been crazy to refuse such an offer. "Since you guys are going to need a place to stay," Lucy began, wringing her fingers like he would kill her once he heard her suggestion. "Would you like to stay with Natsu and me until they fix your house."

Gajeel almost choked. "That's an offer I'll need to refuse." It wasn't just because Natsu was a complete idiot and his tendency to drive Gajeel crazy. Natsu was a pyromaniac and had a habit of setting something on fire at least twice a month. Usually more.

A small car pulled into Levy's driveway, and Levy came out with a look of absolute terror. "My goodness!" Levy ran through their yard and frantically inspected Wendy for injuries. "What on Earth happened here?"

"We're not too sure," Gajeel replied. The reality was too farfetched to himself, so he figured he would leave the explanations to the plumber. Gajeel was prepared to deliver a snide remark until he saw something he wasn't expecting. Lucy and Levy had each other wrapped around their arms, practically squishing themselves together. "Levy! I'm so happy to see you again!" Lucy hollered, almost crying. Gajeel and Wendy didn't intervene as they were too confused by the situation.

After three minutes of happy crying, Gajeel and Wendy couldn't help but feel incredibly awkward. "Well, you two go ahead and enjoy what's going on here," Gajeel finally said. He picked up Lily and pulled Wendy closer to him, "But me and Wendy need to find a motel."

That last bit caught Levy's attention. "Please don't!" Everyone was surprised by how demanding Levy was over such a thing. Her face turned red, realizing what she had said. "I mean you don't need to stay at a motel. I have plenty of spare bedrooms. You can both stay with me if you want."

Wendy practically jumped for joy and Lucy smiled mischievously. However, Gajeel was still confused. "Why would you want us to stay?" He knew it was rude to refuse such a kind invitation, but Gajeel couldn't help finding it strange. After all, she had only known Wendy and himself for a couple of hours. Levy's faced blushed again, "It's just...lonely."

Gajeel was still confused. If she was lonely wouldn't she ask Lucy to stay with her? Before he could answer, Wendy looked at him with the biggest pair of puppy dog eyes.

"Fine," Gajeel reluctantly agreed. Wendy jumped for joy and rushed into Levy's house with Carla in her arms. Levy soon followed, probably to help Wendy pick out her room for the next few weeks. Gajeel was about to join them, but Lucy stopped him by taking a good, strong hold on his arm. "Please take care of her. This house brings back terrible memories for her." She sounded genuinely concerned, so Gajeel nodded despite still being confused.

The plumber didn't take too long getting to the house. He looked through the damages pretty quickly as well. Unfortunately, some pipes were busted entirely all over the house. It would take several weeks to fix.

Gajeel and Lily took a room at the end of the hall. Levy offered him another one, but Gajeel didn't care where he slept. He just wanted to end this nightmare of a day.

It was a fairly large room, with a clean white carpet, a queen sized bed and a large desk. Gajeel was too tired to care and dropped onto the once beautifully made bed while Lily curled up on the floor.

Gajeel woke up to the sound of tapping.  _Tip-Tap, Tip-Tap._ He checked his phone and it was just past midnight.

The tapping went on. _Tip-Tap, Tip-Tap._  Gajeel got out of bed and opened the door. At the same time, Wendy had opened the door to her room. "Where's that sound coming from?" Wendy asked rubbing her eyes.

Gajeel listened carefully and was able to pinpoint the location. It was coming from the attic. He walked toward the attic door and took the string. Gajeel gently pulled it downwards as not to wake up Levy.

When stairs made it to the floor, Gajeel turned on the flashlight on his phone. "You better stay behind me, Wendy," he instructed. He didn't want his little sister to get bitten in case it was a wild animal.

The two of them quietly crept up the stairs and into the attic. They stood still for a moment and could no longer hear the tapping. "Gajeel, look," Wendy pointed across the room, towards the dollhouse. Gajeel shined the light in that direction and saw the dollhouse was wide open. "Didn't we close that the last time we were up here?"

Gajeel couldn't remember for sure. He crept closer to the toy and noticed something else. Next to the dollhouse was a small box. Inside was a little wooden doll with short, light blue hair and big, brown eyes wearing a little orange dress.

_This must be Levy as a little kid._  Gajeel thought to himself. He looked inside the dollhouse and saw two more dolls in the dining room. One was a blue haired man in a button-down shirt and khakis and the other was a woman with long, blond hair in little braids wearing a long white dress.

Gajeel figured these must have been Levy's parents. He remembered what Lucy had said earlier about this containing bad memories for Levy. Without a second thought, Gajeel placed the dolls back in the box and locked the dollhouse. He turned to Wendy and looked her straight in the eye, "You can't mention any of this to Levy. It might not seem important, but it's better if she doesn't know." Wendy nodded, even though she didn't understand. Gajeel didn't even understand, but it was late. The two of them went down the stairs and Gajeel quietly closed the door.

Everything was back to how it was. Gajeel and Wendy returned to their rooms and went back to bed. For an hour, Gajeel had tried to drift off, but could only wait for the return of the tapping from the room above.

The next day, Gajeel had to start his shift at the auto shop earlier than usual to make up for yesterday. As he parked his car, Gajeel got a look of his boss, Laxus, pacing back and forth in front of the shop. He seemed to be in a foul mood - then again Laxus almost always looked like he got off on the wrong side of the bed.

"There you are," Laxus said when he spotted Gajeel coming out of his car. Laxus came right up to Gajeel, but Gajeel remained undeterred. Something that was not an easy feat. Laxus was this massive, hulk of a guy with more muscle than thought possible and a scar over his right eye. Gajeel had his own intimidating aura, but he couldn't deny Laxus real force of nature.

"What's the big idea about you running off yesterday?!" Gajeel cut to the chase and told Laxus the whole story and watched as his expression shifted to horror. "Good God!"

"I'm just grateful I'm not arranging a funeral," Gajeel replied as entered the building. He was setting up his station when Laxus blurted out, "Wait if your house was flooded then where are you and Wendy staying?"

"They're staying with Lev!" Natsu burst out. Lucy probably told him after coming home from that little incident. Gray and Laxus stood still, shocked in terror. This confused Gajeel as he rarely saw his coworkers with anything but a determined expression.

"Levy's back in that house?!" Gray said with his voice oozing with fear. Gajeel could tell the fear was primarily for Levy. Natsu nodded in a manner that was incredibly calm for his standards, "She's planning on renovating the place and sell it." Gajeel swore Laxus shiver a bit before he joined in, "It's understandable, considering what happened there."

The three of them talked back and forth as Gajeel stood there utterly confused by the situation. When he tried to ask a question, everyone else seemed to forget he was in the room. Out of nowhere, Gajeel hollered at the top of his lungs, "How the hell do you all know her?!" Gajeel had the misfortune of knowing Natsu, Gray and Laxus for a good chunk of his life, so he found it strange that all of them already knew Levy personally while he had only met her yesterday.

"We all hung out at my grandpa's youth center," Laxus explained. "You know, Fairy Tail." Gajeel's face turned blank and Laxus remembered that Gajeel only started to visit Fairy Tail after Wendy turned three.

"I'm surprised you didn't hear about on the news," Natsu said. Gajeel went back to being confused. Why would he have heard about Levy from the news?

Gray proceed to stomp on Natsu's toes as hard as he could, leaving the pink-haired fool with a horrid grimace across his face. "He was away that summer, remember," Gray sneered through his teeth.

Five minutes in and Gajeel was officially tired of the whole vagueness. "What's going on? You guys are acting weird and not your normal, annoying kind of weird." Gajeel wasn't sure what, but they were definitely hiding something.

The three men just stood there silently. Natsu rubbed the back of his head, "It's not our story to tell."

"Whatever," Gajeel groaned and returned to his station. He wasn't gonna get any answers from them and he  _definitely_  was gonna get anything from Levy.  _Guess I'm on my own._


	3. chapter three

After his shift ended, Gajeel needed to pick Wendy up from school. He stopped in front of the entrance and spotted Wendy with her best friend, Sherria. The two of them quickly climbed into the backseat. Gajeel wasn't surprised that Sherra was joining them as Wendy often let her come over without asking Gajeel first.

"Hello, Gajeel. Can we go to the library? Me and Sherria have to research for a class project."

Gajeel just nodded and drove off in the direction. He had some work to do there as well.  _Might as well kill two birds with one stone._

The Vermilion Memorial Library wasn't a particularly fancy building, but it served the city well none the less. For a two-story building, it held enough books for the entire country and had recently installed top of the line computers. As the three of them entered the building, Sherria and Wendy went off to research for materials leaving Gajeel by himself.

Gajeel went to the front desk, which seemed strangely empty. He knocked at the front desk, rapping gently enough to get someone's attention and not cause a disturbance. A young man came from the back room. He was skinny, had messy, black hair that was swept over his eye and gave a light smile that one would miss if they blicked.

"Ryos?" Gajeel had known the kid since he was in grade school. He would always follow Gajeel around like a puppy dog, which Gajeel didn't find very surprising. Ryos was a quiet and pretty socially awkward kid.

"I go by Rogue now," the young man corrected. Gajeel remained confused. He expected the Zorro cosplaying head librarian, Rufus Lore. He just groaned, it really didn't matter who helped him. "Do you have any local newspapers from about thirteen years ago?"

Rogue nodded, "We have them on film, but can't you just use a computer?" Gajeel shook his head. For reasons unknown to him, computers seemed to hate him. Besides, whatever was going on hit Levy and everyone she knew on a personal level.

Rogue lead Gajeel to the archives behind the front desk. It was an uncomfortably small room filled with tall white file cabinets and had a strange machine on top of a large oak table. It looked like someone smashed a computer, a movie projector and a microscope together and managed to get them to stay connected. Rogue pulled out a drawer from a cabinet and let his fingers dance over the film, "Which date are you looking for?"

"Start at May," Gajeel commanded. "And see if we can find anything before September." Gray had mentioned him being away during the summer when something horrible happened at the house. The only summer he was out of town was thirteen years ago when his father took him to Oak Town for a father-son camping trip for the whole summer. Gajeel remembered it as a pretty crappy trip and the only reason he remembered the exact year was that Wendy had been born the next spring.

Rogue carefully set up the film and the machine, "Alright. Take a seat and tell me when you spot something of interest." grabbed a chair and took a seat. He rested his chin on the head of the chair as Rogue slowly rolled out the film.

Gajeel was so bored. He had no idea how much time had passed. None of the articles were very eye-catching; they were all about social groups, festivals and the occasional arrest. Gajeel and Rogue started to feel drowsy as they finished the reels for May and June. The dark room was beginning to strain Gajeel's eyes. He almost fell asleep until a headline caught his eyes — specifically, the word  **murder**  in big, bold letters.

"STOP!" Gajeel demanded a little too loudly. "Go back to that last one." Rogue did just that and the two stood back, filled with shock and terror as they read the headline.

**_Beloved Magnolia Citizens Murdered in their Own Home_ **

Gajeel stepped closer to the machine to get a better look at the rest of the article. He read it slowly.

_Tragedy struck what was suppose to be beautiful summer day as longtime Magnolia residents, Sebastian and Marianne McGarden, were found dead in their home early Sunday morning. Sebastian had been shot five times, twice in the head and thrice in the chest, in the living room and Marianne was found in the study beaten to death. The couple lives on through their only child, Levy McGarden (8), who had been at a friend's house the fateful night._

_No signs of forced entry were found throughout the investigation. Police encourage the townspeople to stay alert and inform them of any possible leads._

Gajeel leaned back in his chair as he processed what he had just read. No wonder everybody was acting so squirrelly. That house was where Levy's parents were brutally killed.

He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, which made him nearly jump out of his seat. Gajeel took out his phone and saw he had a message from Wendy.

_We're done for today. Sherria already got a ride back home._

Gajeel got up from his chair and stretched out his back. "I better get going," he began and paused for a moment like he was thinking something over. Gajeel put his hand on Rogue's shoulder, "Can you call me if you find anything else?" Gajeel's voice was eerily calm, making Rogue's stomach clench a bit. Still, he nodded his head as he was as curious about the whole thing as Gajeel.

The two left the room and were surprised when they saw the sun starting to set from the window. Neither realized it was that late. Soon enough, Gajeel spotted Wendy skipping toward them. He patted his sister's head before the siblings waved goodbye to Rogue and heading back to their car.

The ride back to Levy's house was deafeningly quiet. Gajeel didn't know what to say after learning what he did today. He didn't want to scare Wendy and also didn't want his sister to question Levy about the whole traumatizing ordeal. Wendy didn't seem to mind as she had long ago learned to read her brother's face and body language. She could tell something was on his mind and started to rummage through the glove compartment, filled with old CDs she had listened to a thousand times and some old car manuals she could never wrap her head around, to keep herself busy.

In no time, they arrived back at Levy's house. The two of them entered the living room to see Levy asleep on the floor. Her legs were curled up against her chest and she was resting her head on a box that had yet to be emptied. The cats had joined Levy's little naptime with Carla resting at her feet and Lily curled up by her head. Wendy giggled at the sight. Gajeel himself couldn't deny the cuteness before his eyes.

Gajeel lifted Levy off the ground and cradled her in his arms. In her sleep, she clung to Gajeel's shirt like a sleeping child snuggling up against their parent. "I'll take her back to her room," he told Wendy. "You go get yourself something to eat." Wendy tilted her head in confusion, "Shouldn't we wake up Miss Levy? She probably hasn't had dinner yet."

"We'll let her sleep, for now. She looks like she could use it." Gajeel then carried Levy upstairs to her bedroom, slowly and gently to avoid waking her. Wendy smiled. It looked like a scene from a fairytale.

Gajeel had to proceed more slowly as he reached the top step. He didn't want to wake her up by stepping on a creaky board or tripping over a loose one. Luckily, Levy's door was already open with the light shining through the doorway, allowing Gajeel to get in without difficulty.

Levy's bedroom reflected her perfectly. At least, the person she was thirteen years ago. The walls were a beautiful, baby blue decorated in star stickers, the kind that glows in the dark. She had a massive bookshelf pressed up against three of her walls. All of were chalked full of various storybooks and textbooks, while a few dozen had littered the floor. By the head of her bed was a small window covered by little yellow curtains.

The room was adorable, but that only made Gajeel feel more unsettled. Losing a parent was not something a person went through unscathed. Levy had lost both parents in one of the worst possible ways, eight years before he went through the same thing.

Gajeel placed Levy gently onto her bed and pulled her quilt over her shoulders. She looked so cute and at peace, it made Gajeel question what storm of emotions was laying inside. As he was about to leave, he felt a tug on his shirt. Levy was still holding on to him.

"Please don't go," she whispered in her sleep. "Don't leave me here alone." Gajeel kneeled down and removed Levy's small hand from his shirt. He softly patted her messy head of hair, "We're not going anywhere," Gajeel whispered back. "We'll be here for you I promise."

Levy seemed content with that as she began to smile while she pulled her quilt toward herself. Gajeel slowly exited the room, careful not to trip over any books. He turned off the light and silently closed the door.

As when went down the stairs, Gajeel took a series of long, deep breaths. He knew Levy was talking about her parents in her sleep, but what he said wasn't a lie. She hadn't known Gajeel or Wendy for very long, but she needed both of them. She needed everybody.


	4. Chapter Four

Gajeel woke up to a dry chill. He saw that there were no covers on his bed, which was strange as he clearly remembered the hand-stitched quilt before Gajeel fell asleep. As he got up to get a blanket from the laundry room, Gajeel heard something downstairs. It sounded like crying.

He slowly crept down the stairs, stopping near the living room. Gajeel turned and saw Levy on the floor in front of a cardboard box that had yet to be put away. Without a second thought, Gajeel sat beside her.

"You okay," Levy was startled, just realizing Gajeel's presence. She rubbed her eyes, red and watery from crying. Levy tried to answer, but couldn't get any words out of her hoarse throat. Gajeel rubbed her back as the woman began to whimper against his shoulder.

Levy managed to calm down after a few moments and took some deep breathes. Gajeel plucked a book from Levy's lap. She didn't object, so he figured it was the root to Levy's crying.

He looked through the pages and saw it was a photo album. It was stocked full of pictures, to the point that most of them were sticking out of the pages. A lot of photos showed Levy and her parents standing proudly in front of there new house, with Levy's father was carrying her in his arms. Gajeel figured Levy was in kindergarten at the time the picture was taken.

"They were never caught you know."

Gajeel flinched as he took a long, horrified look at Levy. That statement came out of nowhere. "What are you talking about?" He asked in a way that seemed casual, but the sweat beading down his forehead gave away his bull-crap.

"Don't try to cover it up," Levy said without looking up. "I know you've been looking into my parents' murder." Her voice shivered, trying to hold back more crying.

Gajeel felt his heart drop. "Sorry," was the only word he could muster. He looked into it out of curiosity, but after learning what had happened, Gajeel felt like he understood the woman next to him. Not in the same way, but he could still understand.

"None of that should have happened to a little kid." The words came out of Gajeel's mouth without him meaning to do so. "I have no idea what would happen to Wendy if I was there for her."

Gajeel blanked out for a moment until he felt something soft against his skin. As his vision cleared, Gajeel found Levy's hand over his and his nails digging into his skin.

"I won't ask you anything you aren't ready to talk about," Gajeel turned to see Levy smiling even though her eyes were still puffy. Gajeel chuckled and ruffled Levy's hair, "Same here."

Gajeel pulled himself up leaving Levy a bit confused. "Gotta get something from the laundry room," Gajeel explained. "Just remember that you can come to me though."

Levy nodded as her face started to blush. She set the album on a coffee table by her recliner and said good night to Gajeel before heading upstairs.

Gajeel walked over to the laundry room which was just past the kitchen. Levy must have done the laundry sometime yesterday since the room was filled with neatly folded blankets and clothes. Gajeel took a fleece blanket off the table when he started to hear meowing. He bent down and saw Lily curled up in a little black ball with something cradled in his paws.

"Whatcha got there?" He asked the tomcat. The obedient kitty he was, Lily grabbed the object with his mouth, got out from under the table and placed it at his owner's feet. Gajeel's eyes widen and he felt his heart skip a beat. For a few seconds, he was thought he was gonna choke on his own tongue. It was one of the dolls from the attic, the one that looked like Levy.

Terrified, Gajeel grabbed the doll from floor and rushed upstairs. He pulled down the door to the attic as quickly as he could and prayed that Levy wouldn't come out of her room. Gajeel went over to the dollhouse, which was in the same place it had always been and checked the box for the dolls.

It was still locked, but Gajeel needed to know for sure. He slowly opened the box, feeling like he had swallowed a stone, and saw the empty slot meant for the little Levy.

Gajeel put the doll back in box, relocked it and ran straight out of the attic. He loudly slammed the door shut, but luckily didn't wake either Levy or Wendy. He didn't want to have to explain this to them.

He jumped into his bed and pulled his new blanket over his head. His breathing was deep and heavy while his heart was beating so fast Gajeel thought it was gonna burst out of his chest. Soon, a small, warm body was pressed against Gajeel's stomach and was followed by a long, soft purr.

Gajeel pulled the blanket off his head and sighed in relief as he saw Lily cuddled up next to him. He lift Lily up at face level and asked, "How did you get it?" as if expecting an answer. Lily just meowed.

It wasn't like the doll got out of the box on its own. Did it?


End file.
